Multiply Your Meat and Poultry Attack

Hypobromous acid: Utilized for a long time in processing water for can or bottle pasteurizers and coolers, this biocide has recent approvals. The first approved intervention application is for water and ice used in the processing of meat and poultry products. The approval is listed under FCN 944, issued in February 2010, and permits its use at 200 ppm for poultry product ice/water and 300 ppm for meat product ice/water. Meanwhile, FCN 1036 permits a higher usage rate for meat product process ice/water, up to 900 ppm available bromine.

Enviro Tech Corp. of Modesto, Calif., has developed a product that will be effective in a meat or poultry abattoir for full-carcass treatment, given hypobromous acid’s affinity for lipid surfaces like meat carcass skins. It is planned to be part of Enviro Tech’s multi-intervention approach to utilize hypobromous acid for carcass rinses and PAA for cuts and comminuted products.

Chlorine dioxide and ACS: While the precursors are the same in the many application modes available for produce as well as for meat and poultry products, there are two distinct CFR statutes for intervention chemistries:

Chlorine dioxide: The older “free” chlorine dioxide statute 21 CFR 173.300 requires the processor not to exceed 3 ppm residual-free chlorine dioxide as measured by the Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater (4500-ClO2 E). The application and validation burden here is to accurately measure the level of free chlorine dioxide to comply with 173.300, whether it’s for USDA or FDA (produce or seafood) applications. There are numerous FCNs here, including 1052 (CDG Environmental), 668 (Drew-Ashland), and 644 (Diversey).

ACS: The more recent statute applied for by Alcide Corp. utilizes the total ACS level as the product to be titrated or measured for. ACS, like free chlorine dioxide, has applications for the produce-seafood FDA markets, as well as for the USDA FSIS meat and poultry markets. The ACS statute, CFR 173.325, permits use of a 500 ppm to 1200 ppm range.

Lower amounts are permitted by FSIS if the processor can validate the lower level’s efficacy in its operation. For example, Bio-Cide International was granted an FSIS approval in 2003 to utilize ACS in the 75 to 150 ppm range for cooked meat patties or loaves, with the caveat that the processor must maintain internal validation data. This refers to the older of two specific FCNs applicable for ACS; the older one, FCN 450 (November 2004), is for processed, comminuted, and formed red meats, including RTE products.

The more recent FCN applicable for ACS is FCN 739 (October 2007), which is for poultry products and includes whole carcass, parts, organ meat, and trim. Here, the pre-chiller or chiller water use range is 50 to 150 ppm. In all application instances, the free chlorine dioxide must not exceed 30 ppm in solution.

ACS Studies

ACS is utilized to control pathogens like Salmonella spp, E. coli 0157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and Campylobacter jejuni. Under 21 CFR 173.325, the ACS is activated using either food-grade phosphoric acid or citric acids. ACS concentration ranges vary depending upon the processing step. For beef carcass trimming and grinding, forming, and packaging, typical concentrations will range from 300 ppm for deboning to greater than 500 ppm for trimming and grinding.⁴

An internal Bio-Cide International study found some interesting results using ACS as an intervention for meat.⁵ On lean red meats, the use of Keeper Pro at 850 ppm reduced native microflora by 1.4 log10 cycles. On RTE sausage, a 2.4 log10 reduction of microflora was achieved after 30 days storage at 4 degrees C.

In a study conducted in December 2004 as a PhD dissertation at Louisiana State University, Richelle L. Beverly activated Keeper Pro with citric acid and exposed LM-contaminated cooked meat cubes to a range of activated ACS from 250 ppm to 1,000 ppm.⁶ ACS was effective in inhibiting the growth of LM contamination on refrigerated RTE meat products.